Me, Myself and Mioli

Romance

2011-08-18T22:13:00.001+02:00

After 8 years of marriage...

The real househusbands of wherever

2011-08-04T20:55:00.003+02:00

I'm getting really tired of the ridicule of women. Newsflash: Equality, ever heard of that? TV-show after TV-show of women shown off as helpless little creatures who won't do anything but argue with their daughter whether or not she can have a boob-job or compete with her "friends" in being the last one to say something nasty behind their skinny backs. And the worst part is that it's probably women doing the ridiculing. I mean watching the crap. Well, times will change. It is time for the tables to turn. More like WAY past time. That's why I applaud the launch of: "The Real Househusbands of Hollywood".

Let the ridicule begin.

Uh oh...

2011-07-31T03:01:00.001+02:00

Only in America

2011-07-22T05:02:00.001+02:00

Things that are different in the US

2011-07-22T01:12:00.000+02:00

Pretty sure it can't be both...

2011-07-20T19:29:00.001+02:00

Since when is the US part of the EU? :)

Color splash

2011-07-19T02:56:00.001+02:00

Anyone preggers back home?

2011-07-19T01:17:00.001+02:00

I'm falling in love with hats...

2011-07-19T01:11:00.001+02:00

...thanks to my god daughter who keeps me young and fresh. :)

Björne och Snigel, Snigel och Björne

2011-06-29T03:54:00.003+02:00

I'm the big brown one...

Things that are different in the US...

2011-06-28T23:41:00.000+02:00

> The vacuum cleaner!
>
>

IKEA, I love you

2011-06-11T20:55:00.002+02:00

It starts out like this...

..but then I get this:

IKEA, I love you!

It's like pasta with no sauce

2011-06-10T00:12:00.002+02:00

At the gym the other day I went into the Sauna, the Finnish Sauna with my Swedish friend Sofia. But the bucket of water was nowhere to be found. It turns out it is banned, since one of the guests got burned. Well no worries, just fill up the old water bottle and get the sweat show on, I thought. Well... turns out the same person had gotten burned on something else as well, so now they just banned water all together from the Sauna. In case you didn't know Sauna without the water is a joke. It is not even warm. It's like Tom with no Jerry, it's like a summer day with no ice cream, like pasta with no sauce like Entourage without Ari Gold. Pointless.

Chicken wings can make stuff fly...

2011-06-07T21:50:00.002+02:00

They look delish... but these bad boys put Visa into...

...this state for 24 h. And yes, that's a barfing-basket beside the bed. And double yes, it was nasty.

My baby fluff that some people call hair...

2011-06-05T01:00:00.004+02:00

Meanwhile in Sweden...

2011-06-04T20:17:00.004+02:00

I move across the globe, for some sweet California sun and fun, and get this:

...meanwhile in Sweden:

God damn stuff

2011-06-04T02:03:00.003+02:00

When I feel down I get this urge to BUY stuff. Guess it's not an uncommon trait, but it's a very dangerous trait. Not just for the Freakstrom (a little word game I like to do to my last name Fristrom, can I hear you say "yeah yeah yeah"?!) family budget, especially with Gucci just around the corner... but also for the planet. Yes, I'm gonna go green on your asses.

When I lived in Hong Kong, China, I couldn't go surfing without being attacked by something plastic in the water. Nasty. It makes me want to cry.
So what could, should, would I do about it? Well I've decided that whenever I get that urge to buy stuff, I'm gonna give some stuff away instead. Who's with me?

Nothing for sissy-assed lazy-whiners!

2011-06-04T00:43:00.003+02:00

All of you who think Pilates is a piece of cake... try doing this without needing to replace your hip after.

Went to the Pilates class at my local gym today, and dude, it is one hell of a work out! I'd totally forgotten how amazing it feels to twist yourself into whacky positions -with at least a ball and tube to keep control of at the same time as your ass burns so bad you could set the place on fire. Love it! Very close to ballet in many ways. Looks easy, is everything but.

Not a lot of 70-year old chess-playing grandpas could pull this little move-groove off. Below, Joseph Pilates, the founder of Pilates. Ever since it's evolved into many shapes and forms. I still enjoy the original version. He was a boxer, after suffering of back pains he created this exercise method. Just my kind of a kind. Got a problem? In stead of dwelling on it, think of a way to fix it.

The beauty of spontaneity

2011-06-03T19:19:00.002+02:00

This night happened thanks to spontaneity. Beautiful.

Mothers, how do they do it?

2011-06-03T07:47:00.003+02:00

Went to Ikea today. Got an anxiety attack over the amount of stuff we have, so I decided to get some more. At Ikea I always buy a frozen yoghurt. It's a tradition. Some people go for the hot dog, I want the froghurt. Well, with the froghurt in hand I got this compliment from a woman: "Wow, well done handling that ice cream AND the cart full of stuff" (my cart WAS frekishly overloaded and perfectly in balance... but one wrong move and... I do't want to think about it). "Thank you", I replied. Then I realized that she had a cart of her own. With three kids. Heading for the froghurt stand. Mothers, how do they do it?

Too bad I'm already married...

2011-06-02T03:59:00.002+02:00

This message popped up on my Skype chat:

"Greetings dear!

I'm Natalia. I live in Russian Federation.

Do you know that the most attractive ladies in the world live in my country? That's true!

I invite you to a very good international dating site where hundreds of lone I am searching forly hearts are looking for their future lovers.

I dream about meeting a charming one I am searching for longterm relations or even marriage".

And also... I'd have to defy her on that the most attractive ladies live in Russia. It has to be Sweden, right. Even the princess is beautiful. That never happens, right.

I mean... look at her. Honka honka honka! Wawaweewaa...

Snackimals!

2011-05-31T23:46:00.002+02:00

Yes, animal shaped snacks. I'm in love with them. I'm addicted to them. I've od:eed on them.

Snickerdoodle. Pure snappiness, really!

My childhood home

2011-05-31T06:56:00.002+02:00

My childhood home is for sale again in Stockholm. Feels weird to see pictures from it. Same house, different soul. A lot of memories from that place. Like the time my dad fell into the huge tree we had in the back and couldn't get out of it. And no one could help 'cause we were laughing so hard. Good times. Nostalgia XXL.

Big, Bigger, Biggest...

2011-05-31T01:52:00.001+02:00

This blueberry will keep you full for a day... -and probably grow you an extra nipple.

A good name is the best you can inherit...

2011-05-31T01:47:00.002+02:00

Perse = Ass in Finnish. I wonder what James really is selling? :)

EEEEEEK!

2011-05-28T18:54:00.000+02:00

SHRIEK! Who put almonds in my giant jar of... almonds? :)

Munamies or Mioli?

2011-05-27T23:05:00.002+02:00

Munamies is a Finnish TV-character... Mioli is just a character... :)

Above & Beyond!

2011-05-27T22:37:00.002+02:00

Saw Above & Beyond in Santa Cruz yesterday. Check their podcast out on iTunes here. Befriended a guy without a shirt, but with a pacifier (or soother, or napp for you Swedes and tutti for you Finns). I mean, why bring anything but the essential, right? Well the music was fantastic. Proud to have a Finn amongst that trio!

Robyn... or Mioli?

2011-05-27T19:18:00.004+02:00

Bolognese!

2011-05-27T01:33:00.000+02:00

My friend, the sauce, and myself, the pasta = Bolognese!

Amazing name

2011-05-27T00:35:00.003+02:00

Just signed with a web host, called fat cow. A name like that calls for a shout out. Well done, techies!

Bear with me, don't hurl!

2011-05-26T23:19:00.003+02:00

I just got this sent to me:

Sweet, I thought. The hubby found an e-card saying "my love"... But then I realized: Hey it's me in there! So he took a picture of me sleeping and made it into this card. Sweetness.

Love 2011.

The hunt for a perfect salon

2011-05-26T22:26:00.004+02:00

I've been going to the same hairstylist for 8 (eight!) years in Helsinki, Finland. His name is Antti Haakana at Konst Hair & Gallery and is amazing. Not just with hair, also with people. So when I first moved to Stockholm, Sweden I'd fly to Helsinki to get my hair cut. I know, a bit extreme, but totally worth it. I'd always come out of his salon feeling uplifted -and gorgeous added to that. Perfect fit.

In these two pictures Antti did my hair.

But after a few flights over to Helsinki it became too expensive. So the hunt began for a salon in Stockholm. And just like it was meant to be I bumped into Steve Terry, with whom I had the pleasure to work with when he was with Toni&Guy. Turned out he had opened a new salon, You. And so another story of hair-happiness began. Love, love, love You! Look at this blogpost and you'll see Steve, me and his work on my hair.

Flying to Stockholm from San Francisco to get a haircut seemed a bit too extreme even for Mioli. So once again the search for a salon began. And just like that, ta ta! I found the perfect one: W's salon

Ah, now I feel like myself again. Ready to take on the world.

So much love!

2011-05-25T21:05:00.003+02:00

This is me with my sister and one of our dearest friends, Laura. She has so much love to give and is more sophisticated than most people. She teaches me a lot about prejudiced thoughts and emotions. Love you both!

Definitely 25+

2011-05-25T18:57:00.003+02:00

I was at the gym yesterday, running on a super nice treadmill that was softer and more like running cross country, and watched TV at the same time (good thing I'm a woman and can do more than one thing at once, snap!).
Saw the Sharks game (lost, btw, that sucks) and was mesmerized by how fast the subtitles came up. Since it's live, you know.

So I said to Sofia: Wow, can you grasp the speed someone has, doing that? Whereto she answered: "Well Maria, it's probably software doing it". And we realized we are so 25+. I'm so old I took typewriting classes in school and fought over the electronic one. No one under 25 would even have assumed it was done by a human.

Today's find!

2011-05-24T22:15:00.003+02:00

All you Swedes in America: LOOK HERE!
In Sweden we eat this thing called "filmjölk". A very distinct taste and texture. Took for granted it was no where to be found in the US, as it usually is one thing that Swedes crave for being abroad. BUT... (bare with me and scroll down)...

TADA! (drumroll). I found this little puppy at Wholefoods! It's no Filmjölk, but close enough. Like Filmjölk's long lost brother. Welcome home! Check it out at: Lifeway.

New Favorite

2011-05-24T21:10:00.003+02:00

See, crave and drool. Found a new favorite store: Club Monaco. For my convenience (and doom) it is located in the shopping mall right next to my new home. So much for my new sustainable, minimalistic new life style...

Coconut Water, even Madonna drinks it...

2011-05-24T18:46:00.003+02:00

Coconut water is more nutritious than whole milk; it has less fat and no cholesterol.
Drinking coconut water is healthier than OJ as it has a much lower caloric count.
It is naturally sterile, water permeates through the filtered husk
It is a natural isotonic beverage, it has the same level of electrolytic balance that is in our blood and is identical to human blood plasma.
Coconut water contains more potassium, less sodium and natural sugars than most energy and sports drinks.The coconut is a magical food as every part of it can be used in food preparation or as its own dish. The milk, meat, sugar and oil can be found in prepared foods, recipes, as well as non-food items such as candles. The classification of the coconut is difficult to determine, but what is not is its myriad of health benefits.

It helps keep you cool by helping to maintain proper body temperature.
It helps boost poor circulation.
Coconut water carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells.
It can help naturally replenish your body’s fluids after exercising.
It raises metabolism and promotes weight loss.
Coconut water detoxifies the body, fights viruses, and boosts the immune system.
It cleanses the digestive track, balances the pH, and can reduce the risk of cancer.
It can help control diabetes and treat kidney & urethral stones.

Text from: http://www.alwaysnewyou.com/

Okay... So you see all these benefits above, right? Of course I, being a bit of a health lunatic, fell for trying. And they left out the fact that it tastes like dead feet. Madonna, how do you do it?

Did you know?

2011-05-24T18:17:00.001+02:00

I can't hear you!

2011-05-24T06:09:00.008+02:00

Went to the gym to get some exercise crossed off the to-do list. Looked at the schedule and decided to go to a kick-boxing class. I did some boxing and thai boxing when I was younger, so I figured it'd be a kid's game for this veteran...

You know I was wrong. I did not see Le Jon coming. The trainer. It was 55 min of pure trying-not-to-puke-heaven. I write heaven because I loved it. He made us scream. Count the reps out loud. "I can't hear you", he kept screaming, no roaring. How often do you get to beat the crap out of something (if even just air) and scream your lungs out? Well I don't often enough apparently. So purifying.

And also... for the record... gotta love those who do the sport for real. Seriously challenging! Don't get abs like that for nothing, right?! Maybe they all have a Le Jon of their own.

TAKEN!

2011-05-24T03:38:00.002+02:00

Tried to decide on which gym to go to... Went to try this one, Club One, out and it wasn't much of a game... They have 2, not 1 but 2(!) Saunas! My Finnish genes burst out into song (a happy one): I'll take it! Give me free access to a Sauna and I'll be yours forever!

Contradiction...

2011-05-23T22:24:00.001+02:00

Happiness is having your basic needs met with a life full of love... and a Balmain jacket or two. Right?

Bliss

2011-05-23T22:13:00.002+02:00

This is Elias. My cousin's son. He is a few weeks old and blissfully unaware of the world's cruelty and disasters. He only knows he is loved by a lot of people and that his basic needs, such as a home and food, are well covered. What a genius. If we just could be happy for what we have instead of always wanting more (I do want that Balmain jacket, let's not get carried away), life would be a lot more like this picture of Elias.

Even big things consist of small parts...

2011-05-23T19:38:00.002+02:00

I remember being a kid watching my dad pay bills. A sea of bills scattered on the kitchen table to be more accurate. I looked at him with my 8-year old blue eyes, horrified, and asked: "Dad, how am I ever gonna be able to move away from home when I don't even know how to pay bills?". Well, here I am, all grown up, paying my own seas of bills. I guess my point is that a lot of things look scary at first, since they're new to you.

But by just doing, learning, eating one piece at a time even a elephant would be eaten and a sea of bills would be paid. Even a sea is just drops come together.

H&M is back!

2011-05-22T08:29:00.002+02:00

Me and my sister from another mister. Hermine & Maria, changing the world, chapter 1. Starting with the alleged doom day May 21st 2011. From here we change the world, as you eat an elephant, piece by piece.

Put me in a cage!

2011-05-22T08:05:00.002+02:00

First time in a batting cage, definitely not the last. Loved it, just can't hold anything with my hands now because they're shaking so much. Just do it? NO! OVER-do it! :) Exceeding is my lowest ambition.

I passed the DMV written driver's license test

2011-05-20T19:16:00.003+02:00

Department of Mad Violations...?

2011-05-20T08:42:00.003+02:00

Going to DMV tomorrow to do the written test to get a Californian Driver's License. Studying these old tests. This one question cracked me up:

"You are being chased by a police vehicle with its lights and sirens activated. You ignore the warning to stop and speed away. During the chase, a person in seriously injured. You are subject to:
a) Imprisonment in a state prison for five years
b) A fine of not less than 1000 USD
c) Attending an anger-management class

Yup, I'd go for the c), definitely. Need to shake that anger!

The power of inspiration

2011-05-19T22:47:00.003+02:00

Okay here's the deal. I'm a long way from home and I'm in a pretty vulnerable stage one could say. I'm looking for a home as well as I am a job. I love it, seeing all the opportunities ahead of me. But at the same time it can be a handful without your closest rooters. So today I got this mail from my friend and mentor with a lot of love and "you-can-do-it's" if you may. But the best part was this below. Pictures for my wall of inspiration. Okay, so I say: BRING IT ON, I AM GAME FOR ANYTHING, especially with this group backing me up! :) LOVE YOU!

Sisters

2011-05-19T21:21:00.003+02:00

This is my sister and me in Hawaii. Look at her amazingly perfect pores! Lovely! You could shoot up her nose (didn't want to write that other ominous whole, would be too gross) and it'd be a good picture. :)

Just happy to still have her around. Not just in my heart. Annika - Cancer: 1-0!

San Francisco lovin'

2011-05-19T19:33:00.001+02:00

In the jungle only the fit survive

2011-05-19T16:19:00.002+02:00

...even my lap top sleeve matches. Score!

Wohooooo!

2011-05-19T07:19:00.003+02:00

So my sister asked me if I was happy. That made me think about what makes me happy. Well, today I got a revelation driving over the Richmond bridge in San Francisco... The "woohooo-moments" in life make me happy. The bridge made me go WOOOHOOO big time, you see.

A good time to take up blogging again...

2011-05-17T02:10:00.001+02:00

It turns out...

2009-09-13T11:41:00.002+02:00

...I'm a blazer-rat who's either at the office working...or frankly...at the office working. And since I'm a dedicated blazer-rat, there's no time over for the blog-writing-business. Which I cencerely miss. So here is my first posting in like three months and the future of the Mioli's blog writing looks obscure. But stay with me, don't lose faith in me.

I was standing on our balcony this morning looking out over Stockholm, when a deep thought about life hit me. Sunday mornings are like that sometimes for me. Before the sunday-evening anxiety kicks in, you know. :) Well there I was looking out at the building next door and remenessing. That building is, as it turns out, the exact same place I spent some of my scariest days as a child. It used to be a pediatric hospital and my littlebrother, six years old at that time, spent six weeks there after a horriffic traffic accident that he barely survived. When I moved in here in July this summer I looked out from the balcony and totally recognized the building with its large terrace, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Then a few weeks back my mother came over for a visit and asked m if I remembered playing on that terrace while my brother, Marcus was there at the hospital (which is an office-building now a days). And all the pieces fell in place. I was seven years old back then but remember it as yesterday. And I guess that's my deep thought for today. Life goes by in a haste, one day you are at the hospital worrying for your brother's life, the next day you are grown up, married and looking back at those horrific weeks twenty-something years ago. It makes at least me ponder about what happened in between.

SMK

2009-07-14T22:47:00.002+02:00

Can you imagine what a concert with alot of naked people cartwheeling and somersaulting, a guy dancing with or more as a birch tree, 7 dj:s playing and some shellfish on stage would be like? Well neither could I. But now I know. It is hilarious! It's slagsmalsklubben! Check it out!

The beauty of self-distance

2009-07-14T22:00:00.002+02:00

I had a real eye-opening experience on Sunday. I was in Öland, one of Sweden's beautiful islands. Anyway there was this big party at Sweden's biggest nightclub or something (on Öland, you might wonder...so did I...but there you go) and when the sun still was up...oh yeah I have to add that I was there working, not partying...anyway...There were alot of people but some of them particularly caught our eyes. One of them was a man in his mid/late twenties with a red blazer, his hair waxed back and sunglasses, of course. And he took himself so seriously. I mean he was aware of his every move. It's just so: SNORE!!!

The eye opener experience was when he got company at his table. The company consisted of 5 disabled persons in wheelchairs, all dressed up in funny costumes, having a blast! They were so much fun. They blew me away with their self-distance and it became extra obvious when you compared with the snore-bore next to them.

Hultsfred festival

2009-07-08T01:41:00.002+02:00

Did you know that kids born in the nineties are old enough to buy cigarettes? OMG, right?! I remember what I did when they were born...and now they can vote and buy cigarettes? And I look at their skin going...ahhhh how tight is that? so young, so filled with anguish and pain although I as a beholder see their lives as the easiest possible. When it still was possible getting away with not wearing bras and under-eye cream. Glorydays.

What's happened to the running tracks?

2009-07-04T11:52:00.002+02:00

I noticed something today when I was out jogging this morning. I don't know what it was, maybe it's because it's summer, maybe because the sun was shining maybe (and this is what I'm voting for, ha ha) I was just so fantastic at running that I got hit on by several persons. And I write persons, because there were women too. Oh yeah. You guys can suck on that goodie-mental image for a bit, a treat of mine. Anyway, what happened? Have the runningtracks become the new hitting grounds? Are people so opportunistic that they want to optimize their time that much...get the morning run done, AND get some hiny fixed at the same time. Well, atleast you know you can go out running together...you will always have that incommon...ha ha

Oh btw, I'm definitely going out running tomorrow again.

Hmmm...What could we do for nature?

2009-06-22T06:41:00.002+02:00

...Let's get naked and go biking!

LONDON, baby!

2009-06-22T05:49:00.003+02:00

This ain't Hyde Park, people...But I'm still happy!

Camden just became two hotties richer... ;)

Oh look at his face...

But where the HELL IS BIG BEN???

If he is 18...I'm like 22, right?

Mioli goes Marilyn

Hey you can totally see someone's knickers! (panties for u Amewicans) ;)

Well...I don't know what to write here...

What shall we do with the drunken sailor?

2009-06-22T05:29:00.003+02:00

I came to Helsinki yesterday for a job, just a quickie back and forth kind of a trip, and I was stunned by a fact I was harshly reminded of on the bus into town from the airport in Vantaa: Alot of Fins have problems with alcohol. Sitting there on the bus we drove thorugh some parts of Helsinki that are extra filled with slobby pubs and by a red light I saw a sad bunch of women out smoking outside one of them. I mean it was Sunday evening at 8 PM. I bet most of them work at the post office or something, because I've had a feeling lately that's where all the sadest, most acrimonious people work.

Seing that made me think (uh oh she's gonna explode). What is it that makes people so vulnerable to misuse alcohol. Why don't Spanish people have problems in the same extent that we do? I mean working at a trauma ward in down town Helsinki for 2 years made me see that 1/3, let me write that again: one BLOODY third, of all the cases were alcohol related! That's a whole lot. I mean there are pubs that start their happy hour on Mondays at ten. 10 AM!

Why do Fins have a tendency to misuse alcohol? Is it the depressing weather? The darkness? Well it's just as depressing in Sweden and Norway...but we are the ones who get depressed and hit the bottle added to that. At least at some point Finland was the number one country in the world in the usage of antidepressants per habitant. Why? And more importantly....What the hell should one/can one do about it?

What we in Helsinki call a "deeku" = an acoholic. Cheers!

Lack of sleep...

2009-06-06T20:44:00.002+02:00

What is it that comes with age (because it has to be that, right...what else to blame?) that makes it absolutely impossible staying up more than 1 night a week? I tried...really tried...but man...I did not succeed. The lack of sleep makes me whack, I tell you, WHACK!

How much do you hate being wrong?

2009-05-26T14:49:00.002+02:00

Because I HATE IT! Really hate it! I'm taking a course in Project Management, as I mentioned earlier and I did my first exam yesterday. I'm a nerd when it comes to school, so I was totally prepared to ace the little sucker. The exam was compiled of questions that you answered and got it corrected at once. No biggie. The first part was bananas. But then...I get this LARGE RED WORD in my face...It's a word that's totally alien to me...it said: FALSE... OMG! Kiss my squirrel! I got so thrown off I answered the next one falsely too. Absolutely hate it. There must have been something wrong with it... ;)

What is the worst response to "I love you"?

2009-05-24T20:33:00.002+02:00

Have you seen that episode of Friends where...is it Ross? I think it is Ross, who says the three famous words (and no I don't mean "food is ready" or "football is on" or anything nasty) and gets a "thank you" as a response. Have you seen that? Or am I out biking? (swedish saying) Maybe it was somewhere else, well anyway you got the point, right? Is thank you worse than a laugh? Worse than a shut down? Maybe thank you is synonomous to a shut down. Silence? What do you answer if you don't feel the same way? The weather is nice today?

Who died and made you worldpolice?

2009-05-24T13:27:00.002+02:00

Some people are always prone to interfere. My question is now: why? Why do they want to make the life miserable for others? What do they get out of it? Is it just the fact that their life is so miserable they want others to have a horrible time too? Or is it just in their genes? I don't understand. Why bother? Isn't it better to pick your battles and interfere when it is necessary, I mean if someone or something gets hurt or whatever. That's a fantastic time to interfere. We need more of that. The interferers I'm talking about are the ones doing it only to assert themselves, I think. There's no other gain. There can't be.

Shoes are good for a lot of stuff...

2009-05-23T18:04:00.004+02:00

Finally summer in Stockholm...or? Remember to bring your mittens and hats and gear up for the swedish summer.

The first pic nic this year. Tantolunden, Stockholm

Oh and this is my collegue. Crazy lady. Fox in a box! Would you think that our age added up is...56 years?!!!

Hey! I'm married to one of those....

2009-05-23T17:59:00.003+02:00

Yupp, here's the evidence. I'm married to one of the 48% of guys who, in Sweden, actually iron their own clothes. Hallelujah! And apparently not all of the 11% who iron naked live in Gothenburg (as the poll stated), one lives in Stockholm...Just imagine the picture without the undies....I wonder how long I'm gonna be able to keep these pics up here, until he sees them and forces me to remove them...

I like, how much?

Yummylishous!

2009-05-23T17:43:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we came home and it seemed we had nothing to eat, you know grub... ;) Well this is what McGyver and Pete threw together. And man, it was yummylishous!

The salad with grilled Haloumi cheese, bell pepper and grilled pine nuts.

The salad...In the background are some recepies and more importantly the love the food was made with. The cards I have all gotten from my sister and they give me a smile (and a tear sometimes, to be honest) every time I see them. Hey just blow your noses, u softies! ;)

What happens when you have a baby?

2009-05-23T17:35:00.003+02:00

I had coffee with a friend and we disgussed kids, people with kids and the fact that we don't have kids. And one thing both of us were astonished about was the phenomenon on facebook. People who have kids, oooops I just realized I'm gonna step on a lot of toes here, but here it goes, exchange their profile pictures into a pic of their kid.......WHY? Maybe the ones who do and did could enlighten me? I totally understand the pictures where the kid is with you, because it is still such a big part of your life. But only the kid??? Did you disappear once you had the child? I want to think that you just get one role more. You become the mother/the father. I don't want to be synonomous to the offspring. I still want to be me. Although I would probably be ready to sacrifice everything, probably including my life for it/them.

"This is boring, I think I'll just take off""

2009-05-20T18:23:00.004+02:00

I can't believe the low standard some people have when it comes to work ethics. Do they not understand that if they do a lousy job, they will never be hired again with that company? Do people just not care? This is what happened: A girl that worked on the same project as I did had apparently called my boss in the middle of the workday and said:

"This was just too boring, so I took off"

Errrr..... You can't do that! I mean I hope that when I am...let's say...in surgery or something the doctor doesn't think it gets boring and takes off! Really. Holy Moly I am astonished by people's nonchalance. What ever happened to values, huh?

People are so weird!

2009-05-20T15:36:00.004+02:00

I was on the bus today in downtown Stockholm and man it was packed. I snitched one of the last seats (and held on to it with my bare teeth, ha ha) and had a good sight over the rest of the bus as I sat there on the last row, where all the cool kids sit, u know.

Well, on board steps a man, normal looking with a bag and books in his arms. He looked like an mathematician. Anyway, this man puts his bag on the absolute last seat and when a woman makes it clear she wants to sit there, listen to this, he refuses and gets upset over the request! I mean, c'mon people! So much for the social skills in people, right. Maybe he is just good with numbers and dark basements with rats, or something. I would have lost faith in people for a bit because of that, hadn't it been for the young teenaged girl sitting next to the bag. She took the bag and offered to hold on to the bag, so the woman could sit. And so she did. And the bagowner-weirdo let her. Such a sweet girl. I just hope she will be able to maintain as sweet and not be bulldozed over by these weird, socially retarded people, who evidently are out there.

Life management skills taught at the University of Stockholm

2009-05-19T17:08:00.003+02:00

"Change before you have to - get a culture at your company that loves change"
Jack Welch 2004, legendarisk VD för General Electric.

I'm taking a course in Project Management and had a revelation today. The things I read about were perfectly transferrable to life.

What I realized was that change is necessary and it happens faster and faster. Everybody who try to work against it, lose the battle. It's all about finding the right tools to change according to the goals and visions you have in life. Therefore it's imperative to actually have those visions and goals, so you know what to strive for and change into and foremost evolve.

Who would have thought to get such good life-advice from a Project Management course, huh?

Radiohead, always a good choice!

2009-05-19T12:23:00.002+02:00

I would definitely say that Radiohead is one of my top 10 favorite bands of all time. I've seen them live a few times and it's been like a spiritual experience. And the singer has the same name as my dad...well almost anyway...My dad's name lacks the h.

What is it with the post office in this country?

2009-05-18T18:25:00.002+02:00

Compared to other parts of the world everything is very organized and reliable up here in the Nordic countries. It's safe and you know that you will get help if you go to the police and so on. But what is it with the post office that makes it completely impossible to deal with? Today I went to the convenience store where the post office now a days resides to get a couple of packages with stuff I ordered from the internet. She wanted to see my ID, which is perfectly fine. But when she sees it she says:

No, I want to see a swedish ID.

Mioli: Oh I don't have one.

cashier: You have to have a swedish passport or ID.

Mioli: Well I'm not a swedish citizen, it's kind of hard for me to get a swedish passport.

Finally she settled for my Europian Union driver's licence as ID and I got my stuff. You would think that a passport would be the most important piece of identification, but apparently not for the swedish post. You can get in and out of a country with your (in this case) finnish passport, but you cannot get a package out of the swedish post.

Time for an update, Posten?

THEY PLAY TODAY, GUESS WHERE!!!!

2009-05-18T16:57:00.002+02:00

These things don't happen often...I took a look at their website the go-getter and the-making-things-happen-kind-of-a-person that I am...And tadaaaa: SNOW PATROL play tonight HERE in Stockholm!! How cool is that!

Open your eyes

2009-05-18T16:54:00.001+02:00

Snow Patrol, I wish I'd been there. Does anybody know where they play next? I guess I'm gonna have to do some surfin' to find out.

I wish I were a kid again

2009-05-18T13:56:00.003+02:00

On Saturday I was on the subway in Stockholm and as I was ascending the escalator I saw this tiny person standing in front of me. He was clearly the offspring of the man standing down below on the platform. The offspring, aged maybe 3-4, was eagerly climbing the escalator steps one at a time and once and a while glancing down at the father. He hade hope and joy glistening in his eyes. He was clearly on a mission, an adventure. He reached the top and I beholded his next move.

He went to the escalator next to the one he just rode. He looked at it. Stood still a while and pondered. I stopped to see his next move. The escalator he was taking back down was still. It didn't move. His father down at the bottom tried to gesture to his son to take the next one, that was working. The boy looked down and started his adventure down. On the escalator that stood still.

As I stood there my heart started aching. Because I remembered what it felt like taking the longest escalator I'd ever seen. How exciting it was. How I could stay out all day, without eating, to build the biggest snow castle. How I remembered and at the same time realized I'd lost that. I'd lost the child's enthusiasm about the small things. They become every day life. But then I realized that the father, at the bottom of the escalator, gets to expirience it all over again. Through his son.

What is the best thing in life?

2009-05-18T12:34:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I had one of my epiphanies again. One of those fabulous ones that leave you speechless and filled with feel-good hormones. I once again realized what it is the best thing in life. This time I was galopping like the wind with my friend Malin's family's icelander Hlynur by the meadows in Tungelsta, where I grew up. The sun was shining and the meadows were filled with flowers and fresh grass. All of a sudden I, yet again, realized that that is what I love: Being one with nature, with family/friends, doing sports (preferrably something speedy gonzalessy). Last time it was swooshing down the Alpes that took my breath away. Oh and let's not forget the riding the waves in Bali, ah. I am a succer for epiphanies.

I have muscles THERE?

2009-05-13T21:01:00.003+02:00

You'd think a physiotherapist would know all the muscles, and believe me I'm sucker-good at physiology, especially the muscles...But buttely butt I had no idea I had some of them in places I found today at Belly Dance... Wawaweewaa, I'd like to say. FYI: I am now a proud executer of the camelwalk!

Hey I should put this on my CV!

2009-05-13T15:55:00.003+02:00

Today is the day I start learning how to Belly Dance!

Mioli's nightly escapades

2009-05-13T15:32:00.002+02:00

My hubby wonders why my family every now and then (he would definitely say ALL THE TIME) reflects over dreams we dreamt the night before. The sentences that start with: "I had the creaziest dream last night"... just don't exist in the pretty head of his. He simply doesn't do it, dream, I mean. Or atleast doesn't remember them afterwards. But I do. So here we go:

I had the craziest dream last night! I dreamt that I was a drug smuggler and had a bunch of policemen chasing me first around a train platform and then in the house. When I woke up my first thought was: Holy Balony, I have to hide my stash!

I don't usually ponder on what the dreams mean, but sometimes they make me wonder how come I had those thoughts during the night. Some people mean dreams are a way for the brain to prepare you for things to come (important load of drugs coming in apparently...) So in this case...I really hope not.

Screaming your lungs out is liberating!

2009-05-12T20:08:00.002+02:00

I was at Friskis & Fläskis (It's Friskis & Svettis really = Healthy & Sweaty, but it's too lame, Healthy & Fatso sounds much better) today at a dance class, which was amazing! We got to sing along, do fame jumps and even scream our lungs out. It was so liberating!

The art of cooking

2009-05-12T19:52:00.002+02:00

Is cooking an art if you have no observers? And if you are the observer, does that count as being part of the cooking art? I love the art of cooking, as long as I am the one observing, maybe chopping an onion or two, so much I can do for art. Tonight I am seated on the first row of the Visa's art of cooking show, which, so far, is fantastic. I'm going to give him standing ovasions. Somehow that came out dirty.

Age, a funny thing

2009-05-12T08:50:00.003+02:00

A couple of my collegues were amazed when they found out that I was born 1980. They are 7-8 years younger than me and apparently you are only twenty-something before you hit the 25 mark. They were in awe over the fact that I was "so old". I was definitely the only one in the herd that thought that we were kind of the same age. The best part was when they asked:

"If you are that old, how do you stay in shape"?

C'mon people, I'm 28, not 58 (sorry mommy)!

Running vs. Walking. What burns more calories?

2009-05-11T22:31:00.002+02:00

Alot of people are not familiar with the fact that you actually burn the same amount of calories if you run vs. walk the same distance. The difference is, of course, that running you do it faster and have a longer afterburn. But the factors for burning calories are roughly: time and weight. So the heavier you are and the longer you exercise, the more calories you burn. That is why you have to alter your exercise routine once you start losing weight.

What is the key ingredient to a good relationship?

2009-05-11T22:15:00.004+02:00

My friend said such a wise thing. He meant that long relationships are all about choosing eachother over and over again. It has to be an active choice. Maybe the American way isn't that cheezy after all, I mean doing the wedding ceremony all over again after a certain amount of years and once again say your choice out loud. At least you would get another party...and maybe a new dress? Hey, I'm totally up for that!

More swedish tunes

2009-05-11T20:27:00.001+02:00

Happy socks going to the dentist...

2009-05-11T12:15:00.004+02:00

Serious business!

...I am no big fan of going to the dentist. Might correlate with the fact that I was a total cookiemonster when I was a youngster (who am I trying to kid writing in past tence. I STILL AM!) and therefore I had like 13 cavities at one point (and if that's not a traumatic experience, what is). But now it was time again...to sit down in that chair of horror.

This time I was prepared, though. My weapon against the Monster in a White coat: HAPPY
SOCKS!

I don't know what happened, maybe I really tamed the Monster, because the experience wasn't half as bad as I remembered. Sure, I was sweating like a pig (there I go again, smearing the good rep of pigs. Sorry pigs. I know you don't even sweat) and my eyes might have teared up once or twice, but I did good.

The feeling of half your face being numb...

Happy socks. Happy Mioli.

The best running music ever.

2009-05-11T11:52:00.003+02:00

Trance Around The World with Above and Beyond. Definitely. Check it out!

More fantastic music

2009-05-11T11:42:00.001+02:00

José Gonzáles, oh yes, he makes my heart beat. Or maybe even skip a beat.

STUFF. Crave it AND hate it.

2009-05-11T09:27:00.002+02:00

Sometimes I get these cravings for stuff. Stuff I don't need. Like that skirt down below. I don't need skirts. But it's just so beautiful. Why is it I sometimes get this urge to just spend money? Without any specific purpose, just the plain spending gives me satisfaction. I am pretty good at restraining myself, though. I have a dream of becoming minimalistic. With only the very necessities and nothing more. I want my home to be simple, clean and with no eccess stuff. How does that go with the need to buy stuff? I have one answer: Delayed satisfaction. If you convince yourself to wait, you might get an even bigger satisfaction.

I got these feelings again trying to get to the apartement in Stockholm after picking up stuff from Finland. I felt like a donkey, I tell you. So much stuff! Phew.

21 KM, 2 Hours 11 Minutes 54 Seconds

2009-05-11T09:25:00.002+02:00

My final result is here. Helsinki City Run 2009, 21 km, half a marathon. Holy balony, I did it, again! Next time I will go for the two hours and break it like fine porcelain!

Release the pressure...

2009-05-10T18:49:00.003+02:00

I have a plan. I'm going to London with the smurf-daddy in June and what could be a better occasion to release myself from the shopping-ban than that very trip? NOTHING, I tell you, nothing. So I am gonna release my surpressed shopping needs like a mainiac in London. Be afraid, Visa. Be very afraid!

The swineflu brought something good with it...

2009-05-10T13:45:00.003+02:00

...As I wrote earlier my father had to go to the States for work and therefore miss the Helsinki City Run...BUT the trip was cancelled due to the swineflu! Yippie yay yey! So I didn't have to start alone. I had my dad with me. And he was with me the first 4-5 km or so...then this little daughter of his took off. The weather was pretty harsh; +9 degrees Celsius, raining and storm winds. That didn't stop this raging Finn, though. I ran like I had a heard of Pigs infected with the swineflu (sorry piggies, I know you have nothing to do with the deciese) chasing me. I was like the wind and Flash Gordon combined. What I'm trying to say is that I did pretty well. I am satisfied anyhow. So you want to know my time? The preliminary time was 2 hours 12 minutes. 21 km. My dad was a fighter and crossed the finish-line at 2 hours 22 minutes.

More John ME

2009-05-07T12:59:00.002+02:00

The difference between being a good singer and trying to sing is this: The ones who truely have the talent just open their mouths and out comes heavenly sounds without any effort. And it shows. It's so natural and effortless. Perfection.

His voice gives me goosebumps. I love getting goosebumps!

2009-05-07T12:55:00.001+02:00

This is the swedish artist John ME. His voice is incredible. This duet is with Amanda Jensen.

Stockholm City Hall

2009-05-07T12:13:00.002+02:00

I felt like such an important person the other day when I was working at Stockholm city hall. You know, where the Nobel price is awarded... Well I got to walk the famous stairs up and down like a dog, so now I'm just waiting for an invitation to the Nobel prize ceremony so I can show how I can walk down those stairs in my sleep. Or maybe it's just the king and queen who walk down the stairs. Anyway. Hey, I just realized I've walked the same stairs that the king has, wow, How hot am I? On fire! So now I can add "walked the same stairs as the king of Sweden" to my list, right after: "sat on the same toilet as the President of Finland". Tsssst, don't get burned, that's how hot I am!

Don't do it!

2009-05-07T12:01:00.002+02:00

So if you read my posting about what to get a 30-year-old man...Don't do it! Don't buy the mini lap top. Apparently it's true...30 doesn't come alone. It brings friends. Friends called change and crisis. So instead of a gadget it is now time to be one with nature and music. That's why the mini laptop is going to get exchanged for a bike (!) and a guitar. There you go. The engineer has become a humanist.

It's closing in...Soon it is time to...

2009-05-04T11:08:00.003+02:00

...Run The Helsinki City Run 09.05.2009! Last year I ran my first half a marathon. It was quite an ordeal, since I the same morning of the run woke up with a pretty bad muscle spasm in my neck. I became so disappointed and angry because of it, I kicked a bed so hard I got a minor crack in the foot, too (ever heard of disguising pain with another?) I was in serious pain and could not move my head. Well you would think a physical therapist would have decided not to do the run, but persistant and stubborn as I am, I did. And man did I do it. I thought running 400 metres, which was the distance I competed in back in the day, was tough. But these 21 km would never end. Ha ha. Well I am very proud of completing the run and winning over a famous polititian on the last 100 metres. Don't tell anybody she's like 55 years old or something.

Anyway, now it is time again. Helsinki City Run, Round 2 (for me, that is). This time my father and brother were supposed to race me, but it seems they have gotten cold feet. My brother is in China and my father in America. I know, they went as far as they could.

This time I hope to be able to run without injury and my goal is to do a personal best.

My biggest fans: Dad, Mom, Myself and my hubby

Oh, by the way...I had to see a physical therapist for Months after the last run. She thinks I got a minor hernia in one of my cervical disks due to the strain. So don't try it at home, kids!

Pictures by Vesa Metsätähti. Copyright, of course.